


Fly Away With Me

by isabelbarret



Series: Living in an Alternative World [2]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-19 06:52:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7350427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isabelbarret/pseuds/isabelbarret
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack doesn't like showing other people his wings and he also doesn't like when other people show him theirs. When he meets Eric Bittle this ideas begin to change.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fly Away With Me

**Author's Note:**

> This is a wingfic AU though most of it fall in line with canon. Sorry for any spelling or grammar issues, i edit myself so i sometimes don't see mistakes. Please Enjoy!

Jack had always been timid about showing people his wings. Even when he was a child he hadn’t liked people looking at them. 

It’s not like they were ugly by wing standards, they matched his mother's who was well known for having wings at lovely as her face. They were light blue and matched his eyes, with little spectacles of a darker shade of blue. When he was a kid they’d always been a little bit too big for him but since then Jack felt he’d grown into them nicely. 

Still he didn’t like people looking at them and he didn’t particularly like other people showing him their wings. Seeing someone's wings was suppose to mean you had a special and deep connection with that person, not just some small friendship. Plus Jack didn’t like that if someone showed him their wings Jack felt like he had to show them his. 

Parse had shown Jack his wings the first time he’d ever came over to his house. Kenny had always been liberal about showing other people his wings. Of course it helped that Kent's wings were beautiful and he was often reminded of that fact by different people. 

Jack would say the most accurate color to describe them as would be silver. In the sunlight they changed from silver, to a light blue, a green and sometimes even a lovely shade of purple. Jack, thought he’d never would have admitted it, was always a little bit in love with Kenny’s wings. 

He’d never shown Kent his wings, even though Kent repeatedly showed him his wings. Parse always had something to say about them or about what he thought they would look like. He’d often ask Jack if they were ugly, too small or if they were all messed up. 

Jack never agreed with any of the things Kent claimed about his wings though at the same time he never refuted any of them. He didn’t want to have to tell Kent that the reason Jack never showed him his wings was because he didn’t feel comfortable. Especially because Kent had showed Jack his so many times. 

After the overdose Jack was glad that he never showed Kent his wings. It always made it feel like there was still a wall that existed between the two of them. That they could never see each other again and not be completely broken. 

For a while after the overdose he kept his wings closed. Even when he was in therapy and was rapidly reminded that it was okay for him to open up, to show his wings. That showing someone your wings didn’t have to be this huge thing. Especially not if it started to cause his stress. 

Most of the time when Jack was at home he’d keep his wings open unless they had guest over. He’d always done that with his parents and they’d always kept their wings open around him. The only time he didn’t was right before the overdose. 

At the time he’d blamed it on all the medication he was taking, said it was harder to keep his wings open. Truthfully keeping a secret from someone makes it hard to keep your wings open around them. 

The first person outside of his family he showed his wings to was Shitty Knight who claimed he was Jack’s best friend after only a week of knowing him and then proceed to show Jack his wings. They were a beautiful dark green, all glossy and perfect. He never pressured Jack into showing him his wings which was probably why he decided to. 

“Damn, Those are good looking pair of wings,” Shitty says admiring Jack’s wings. 

“Thanks, though I’ve always thought they were a little bit to big.” 

Shitty shakes his head; “Nah, they're perfect.” 

Jack looks back at his wings, trying to stretch them out as far as he can in Shitty’s cramped dorm. He’s always wondered what it would be like to use his wings for some actual flying. If only they were more than just funny little ornaments left over from evolution. 

The second person he showed his wings to was Lardo and it happened almost a whole year after he’d shown his wings to Shitty. They’d become close friends though most of the time they spent together they didn’t talk. Jack likes having someone to not talk to. 

“Do you wanna see my wings?” Lardo asks. Their hanging out in the living room of the Haus and Jack’s enjoying his pre game PB+J. He’s not sure where everyone else is because it’s oddly quiet. 

“Sure, I mean if you want to,” Jack says and takes another big bite out of his sandwich. 

And there they are. Jack thinks their dark blue or maybe even purple but they look practically black except for when they shimmer in the light. He knows there’s prejudices surrounding people who have dark wings and Jack wonders if anyones ever bothered her over them. He doesn't see why they would want to, Jack thinks they're beautiful. 

“Do you want to see my wings?” Jack’s admiring the thin feathers on Lardo’s wings. 

“Only if you want to, you don’t have to,” Lardo and Shitty both share the idea that you can’t force people to show you their wings. Jack thinks that’s probably the reason he feels so comfortable showing them his. 

Jack lets his wings go out, slowly spreading and stretching them out. Lardo gives them a once over before giving him a nod of acknowledgement and turning back to the TV. That’s more of a compliment then Jack’s ever received. 

They next people he shows them to our Ransom and Holster though it’s more of a mistake then anything. Him and Shitty are hanging out in Shitty’s room, not really doing much of anything. Jack’s pretty sure that if they were hanging out in his room Ransom and Holster would never had just barged in. 

More times than not him and Shitty keep their wings open when they're hanging out together. Jack finds it relaxing since he’s so used to keeping his wings open at home. 

For a second when they spot Jack’s wings everyone just freezes. They’ve seen Shitty's wings multiple times, he’s pretty comfortable sharing his wings with the team. Shitty doesn’t quite believe in the ‘only show your wings to people who mean a lot to you’ rule. 

Also Shitty feels comfortable around basically everyone which is a luxury Jack’s never had. For most people their wings can never come out unless they feel completely comfortable with the other person. That rule just doesn’t really seem to apply to Shitty. 

When everyone's unfreezes Holster speaks up; “Cool looking wings dude.” 

“Yeah their pretty sick,” Ransom says, the two of them have been joined at the hip since they met. Though Jack’s never seen their wings he’s sure they’ve showed each other. People can’t be that close without showing each other their wings. 

“Thanks,” Jack replies. The moment seems to pass and the tension disappears. 

“We just wanted to know if you guys wanted to play Mario Kart?” 

“Sure,” Jack says, him and Shitty head down the stairs to go lose at Mario Kart. 

They don’t ever talk about it again. It’s not until next year when both of them move into the attic of the haus that he finally sees their wings. Apparently they both feel comfortable enough to show their wings most of the time. 

Holster’s got silver wings that sometimes remind Jack of Kents. Of course Holster and Kent have nothing in common and grey wings are relatively normal. Still sometimes he’ll see them out of the corner of his eye and feels panic wash over him. 

Ransom’s wings are red and speckled just like Jack’s. Him and Holster’s wings complement each other perfectly. Jack thinks that they might be more than just friends though he’s never been good at reading signals. Yet the way their constantly petting at each other's wings suggests that there's something more between them. 

Showing someone your wings is supposed to be special, touching someone's wing is the closest you could possibly get to someone. As a child his mother used to pet his wings, he’d always found it comforting. 

Shitty had touched his wings once, more just fixing feathers than anything else. The wave of affection that flowed through him at that moment had left him stumbling. 

He’d once over seen Lardo and Shitty touching each other wings and watching that had left him yearning. The idea of someone touching his wings like that or that they would want him to touch their wings filled him with warmth. 

It was a touch he associated with love. It was something he’d seen his parents do at their happiest moments. 

He meets Eric Bittle in his junior year at Samwell. He’s small and sweet and of course that means that Jack treats him horribly. 

Everyones loves Bitty instantly; really it seems impossible not to. He’s nice to everyone even Jack after he finally stops letting his jealousy control his emotions. 

Johnson gives Bitty his dibs in the Haus. Out of all the frogs the members of the haus have become the closest with Bitty. Even with how close he’s become to them no one has ever seen Bitty’s wings. 

Jack who's always considered himself standoffish and had difficult time connecting had shown his wings to Shitty during his first year at Samwell. And Bitty whose universally well liked doesn’t show a single person. 

Usually Shitty inspires other people to show him their wings, a few times even complete strangers. Both Ransom and Holster have shown Bitty their wings not very far into Bitty’s freshman year. Lardo has also shown Bitty her wings and she’s only known him for a semester. 

Jack hasn’t but then again no one expects him to. He doesn’t think Bits would want to see his wings anyways. 

“Do you think something's wrong with them,” Jack overhears Ransom say. He usually tries not to eavesdrop but it’s hard when their talking right outside his door rather loudly. 

“With what? Oh, Bitty’s wings,” Holster replies; “Yeah probably since apparently he won’t show them to anyone.” 

“Maybe they're all messed up or something. You known they might look weird,” Ransom’s voice starts to fade away meaning their heading up the stairs. Part of Jack wants to throw his door open and say how horrible it is to talk about Bitty that way. How it’s none of their business what Bitty’s wings look like. Instead he lets them walk away and goes back to his reading. 

Bitty moves into the haus and everything becomes nicer. He cooks and cleans for everyone and the Haus is in a better state than it’s ever been. 

Him and Bitty become closer too. He’s not sure if it's just because their living together now or if it’s something else to. Bitty makes him feel lighter, like he doesn’t have to try to be better all the time. 

Even though Bitty lives in the Haus now no one has seen his wings yet. 

They're also taking a class together this year along with restarting checking practice. Jack’s also pretty sure Bitty used pie to get into the class though Jack’s not really surprised. 

Bitty also unsurprisingly finds a way to incorporate pie into their final project.

Jack’s never thought baking was easy though the way Bitty does it makes him sort of believe that it is. He’s also a remarkably good teacher, especially for Jack who gets frustrated at every turn. 

He realises he’s actually having fun baking with Bitty but more importantly he’s having fun just being around Bitty. He likes that he can make Bitty smile and laugh with just a stupid joke. He also likes how Bitty can do that to him. 

Jack talking about his most recent meeting with Georgia and the Falconers staff. He likes talking about this stuff with Bitty because he never really has much of an opinion. 

Then suddenly he looks at Bitty and there they are: his wings. Golden yellow at the base and fading off into a rich orange at the tips. They look like a sunset and like nothing Jack ever seen before. 

Bitty looks just as stunned as Jack feels, eyes open wide in surprise. “I’ve never showed anyone my wings but my parents and my MooMaw,” Bitty says, he looks flushed and embarrassed. 

“Their beautiful,” the weight of the situation really hits Jack then. That Bitty’s showing Jack his wings, that he hasn’t shown anyone else yet but somehow he’s decided to trust Jack; “Can I touch them?” 

Bitty nods and now their crossing a line that he can’t easily go back on. Bitty turns around so Jack can have full access to his wings and he takes full advantage of that. Jack caresses the silky soft feathers and straighten out feathers that have become crumpled probably due to lack of stretching. He traces the places where the colors fade out and then into one another. 

Then he notices it, two jagged scars along the top bones of his wings. Scars Jack knows are caused from someone trying to clip your wings. Even though wings can’t be used to fly, clipping someone wings by force is seen as the utmost sign of disrespect. It’s illegal in most countries and has been for a while. 

He runs a finger over one of the scars and Bitty gives a whole body shiver. 

“Does it hurt?” Jack asks pulling his hand away as soon as he sees Bitty’s reaction. 

“No, not anymore,” Bitty says and Jack brings his fingers back to the scars; “At the time it hurt and for a while afterwards.” 

Jack can’t understand why anyone would want to hurt Bitty that way. Jack knows he’d been cruel to Bitty in the past but he would never think to do something like that. 

For a second he wonders if Bitty’s parents are who tried to do that to him. Of course he’s heard the horror stories about people trying to clip their kids wings. Though Bitty doesn’t seem to have a partially traumatic relationship with his parents. Bitty adores his mother and him and his father seem to have a distant relationship if anything. 

“Who did this to you,” Jack asks. 

For a while Bitty doesn’t answer, just lets Jack touch his wings. For a second Jack wonders if Bitty is going to lie to him but instead he sighs deeply. “Back when I was in seventh grade these kids on the football team tried to clip them. You know how kids can be when they see somebody who's different from them.” 

“I’m so sorry,” Jack does know how horrible kids can be if they can pinpoint something that you're uncomfortable about. He grew up as a chubby kid who always felt awkward around other people. Especially because he was the son of a model people always targeted him over his awkwardness. 

Bitty turns to him and gives him this soft smile that even Jack can tell is full of love; “It’s not your fault Jack!” 

Jack cups Bitty’s cheek with one hand and the other one wraps around Bitty’s waist; pulling him even closer. He can feel hot breath against his face as they lean closer together. 

“I this okay?” Jack murmurs their lips brushing against each other. He doesn’t want to talk, just wants to kiss Bitty like crazy. But if he’s learned anything from Shitty it’s the importance of consent. 

Bitty nods and Jack doesn’t waste a single second before pressing their lips together. At first it’s sort of awkward but then Bitty’s hands come up to his shoulders and they fall together. It’s soft and sweet but most importantly it feels so natural. 

When they pull apart they're both breathing heavily. Bitty’s gripping onto Jack’s shirt and Jack’s hand is still pressed up against Bitty’s cheek. He’s smiling up at Jack like he’s the best thing he’s ever seen. 

“Do you want to go up to my room,” Jack asks and Bitty nods eagerly. He grips Bitty’s hand and pulls him up the stairs behind him. 

He’s glad no one else is at the Haus right now because he’s sure they would have something to say about Bitty showing his wings. They’d probably interrogate him and then Bitty would never make it up to his room. 

Jack closes his door behind him and Bitty goes and sits down on Jack’s bed. Suddenly there's a tension in the room that wasn’t there before then they were in the kitchen. They both regard each other slightly nervously but Jack still can't help but smile. 

“Do you want to see my wings.” 

Bitty nods quickly before coming to stand behind him so he can get the full view of his wings unfurling. This all feels big, everything that's happened in the last several minutes. 

Jack lets his wings stretch out though they were out earlier when he was hanging out with Shitty. Those moments feel like a lifetime ago. 

The first touch to his wings are tentative but still almost make him moan. Bitty’s delft little fingers straighten out a few of his stray feathers before running his hands down Jack’s wings. 

“Your wings are one of the most beautiful things i’ve ever seen Jack Zimmermann,” Bitty’s voice sounds in awe and Jack knows he also feels the weight of these moments. 

Jack lets Bitty play with his wings for a while and the way he’s touching them suggests he doesn’t have much experience. That's fine with Jack, he doesn’t have that much experience either. 

He doesn’t get tired of Bitty touching his wings and he doesn't think he could ever get tired of that. More he gets tired of wanting to run his hands over Bitty’s wings and wanting to kiss him. Jack desperately wants to kiss him again. 

They end up with Bitty laying flat on his back on the bed, Jack hovering over him. Bitty’s wings are gone again so he is able to lay more comfortable but Jack has a strong suspicion that he’ll be seeing them again. Jack’s wings are still out and their hanging over them like a canopy. 

“Jack,” Bitty murmurs as Jack kisses a trail down down his neck; “Jack, I like you so much.” 

Jack smiles against Bitty’s collar bone and breaths him in. Somehow Bitty always seems to smell like apples and cinnamon. “I really like you to Bits.” 

Bitty’s face breaks into a huge grin and Jack can’t help but smile back. He doesn’t understand how uncontrollably happy Bitty makes him feel. Based on the smile on his face he’d like to believe he makes Bitty happy too. 

Him and Bitty start dating though they have to keep it quiet. They end up telling some of the guys mostly because they can’t see how they could possibly hide it. 

One day their sitting in Jack’s room, both of their wings are out. Bitty’s sitting in his desk chair and Jack’s on his bed fiddling with his camera. Bitty had said he was planning on making some flash cards but he just ended up talking instead. 

Jack looks over at him and it catches him off guard how beautiful Bitty looks. Sunlight making it looks like his wings are glowing and Jack can’t help but take a picture. Bitty looks to nice in the picture, all happy and warm. 

Jack doesn’t use it for his final project though he decides not to delete it. He doesn't think about it until he’s going through his pictures alone in his Providence apartment, missing Bitty desperately. 

He goes and gets the picture printed out all nice and glossy and then runs to a store and buys a frame. He doesn’t really have any artwork or photo’s in his house but he thinks it’s probably best to start with this. 

He ends up putting the picture on his dresser so he can look at it every day. Jack sees the picture it makes him fill with warmth, makes him remember what it was like to have Bitty runs his hands down his Jack’s wings. 

Before Bitty returns to Samwell that year he spends a couple of days at Jack’s apartment. Having Bitty in his space is one of the best feelings he’s ever had.  
Within the first day he finds the picture, it's not like Jack was trying to hide it or anything. Bitty cradles it in his hand and smiles over at Jack; “When did you take this?” 

“Last year, at some point,” Jack says even though he could think back and pinpoint the exact moment he took it. Bitty smiles and sets the picture back down carefully before going over to Jack’s bed and grabbing his camera where he had abandoned it earlier. 

Both their wings are out, they always keep them out when they're alone together. Bitty’s not so nervous about letting people see his wings anymore, finally seems to understand that their beautiful even with the scars. 

“I think we need a matching picture,” Bitty says holding the camera up and taking a picture of Jack. he smiles and Jack can’t help but laugh in return. 

The next day Bitty insists that they go get the picture printed out and then go buy a matching frame. They set the pictures down next to each other, and every time Jack spots them he feels with warmth. He didn’t think he’d could ever be that happy or make anyone that happy except for here's the evidence right in front of him.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!   
> comments and kudos are always appreciated! come talk about silly hockey boys with me at my [tumblr](http://isabelbarret.tumblr.com)


End file.
